While the Arrowverse comes to an end with The Flash Season 9, Superman & Lois is the only DCTV series on The CW whose future currently remains uncertain. That said, Superman & Lois leans into what it’s done best, coming out the gate swinging with some of the best superhero action on television with plenty of emotional depth and its heart clearly displayed on its sleeve. More tonally intense than seasons past, Superman & Lois Season 3 continues to fire on all cylinders as the current gold standard on The CW’s original programming line-up.
One month after defeating the villainous Ally Allston and foiling her plot to merge Earth with Bizarro World, Clark Kent and Lois Lane, along with their family, enjoy a well-deserved harmony in Smallville. However, Lois becomes determined to see if the shadowy Bruno Mannheim is the feared leader of the terrorist organization Intergang as suggested at the end of Superman & Lois Season 2. Meanwhile, Superman has to contend with a variety of super-powered threats, formidable enough to give the Man of Steel a run for his money, as the Kent family braces for major change on virtually every front.
At a time when there's a heightened scrutiny in production values for television and film, most notably in cinematography and visual effects, Superman & Lois maintains the cinematic quality that elevated the first two seasons. The action set pieces are among the best rendered on The CW, backing up reports that the series boasts an impressive production budget per episode. This is a show that has always taken the fidelity and quality of its source material seriously and always exceeds the high bar of expectation accordingly.
It’s important to point out that Superman & Lois knows how to deftly balance its tone, not taking itself too seriously or relying on campy self-awareness that plagued much of the Arrowverse. This balance comes from anchoring the narrative with a genuinely likable main cast, with newcomer Michael Bishop taking on the role of Jonathan Kent. Such a high-profile mid-stream recasting could completely throw off the chemistry of an ensemble but, fortunately Bishop fits right in and the show wisely progresses steadily along like business as usual.
Business remains booming, with Superman & Lois bringing teen drama, superhero set pieces and paying off on a growing number of intersecting character arcs. Superman & Lois has pitted its heroic characters against engaging antagonists that have organically challenged the whole family, and Season 3 has the biggest host of villains yet. That the show is able to devote so much time in developing so many intriguing subplots in addition to dialing up the scale is a masterclass in superhero storytelling.
With DCTV shows ending on The CW left, right and center, who knows how long Superman & Lois has left to run but, at the end of the day, that’s not really the point. The series has never dialed it in and three seasons in, with major casting and its longevity in doubt, Superman & Lois still doesn’t cut any corners with those factors in mind. Just as solid and ambitious as ever, Superman & Lois leans into its strengths and ascends to new heights, confidently pushing onward as it forges an expanding legacy for the Man of Tomorrow on television.
Developed for television by Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing, Superman & Lois premieres March 14 at 8 pm ET/PT on The CW, with new episodes airing Thursdays and available to stream the following day on The CW App.